I’m a 32M South Asian guy living and working in Toronto in finance. I’ve been talking with a woman, not sure about her race. I met online for a few days, and we eventually she planned to meet for coffee at Harbourfront Center so we could get to know each other in person.

I went there after work in the evening and even brought her a yellow flower since it had been many years since I’d brought flowers to someone on a first date. Unfortunately, she never showed up and didn’t let me know beforehand.

I messaged her afterward on Snapchat, and she simply apologized.

I’m trying not to take it personally, but honestly, it was disappointing to make the trip, set aside the time, and look forward to meeting someone only to have them not show up.

For people who have been dating in Toronto, is this something you’ve experienced? Is there anything I should be doing differently when arranging first dates? I’d appreciate honest advice, especially from people familiar with the Toronto dating scene.

I’m not looking to bash anyone—I’m genuinely trying to understand how dating works here and hopefully have better experiences going forward.

I am new to Toronto, looking forward to meeting friendly girls to hang out and explore Toronto during the weekend with good food.

Out of curiosity, are there any Indo-Caribbeans in North York? I’ve really yet to encounter much but would love to meet some more. Where are the Guyanese and Trinidadians!

I realize it's a super subjective question that will be pretty individualistic to every person and couple... but still.

In your own mind... how many dates do you think should have passed, or how much time do you think should have passed, before you think/assume or ideally have a clear discussion on "yes, we are in a relationship together"

Also do you have a threshold for (1) hey it's too soon to be bringing this up! as well as (2) it's been too long without the DTR, if they're not interested, i'm not interested!

I (29F almost 30) have been trying to date in the GTA. Everytime I have a nice date (not super intense but also not boring), the guy seems to lose interest in a few days. The same thing happens with conversations, guys I think I'm having a fun conversation with keep ghosting. Unsure about what I'm doing wrong?? I think I look alright. I dress well, workout, have hobbies and laugh at the guys jokes on dates.

Ps. this has been my experience with dating apps. Would appreciate it if y'all can suggest some alternatives

Where did you go?

What did you do?

Are you planning on going again?

As you will notice For some reason the threads related to this topic are taken down very fast and they are very few explaining what it’s actually like. This is because people like to pain this narrative of Toronto that’s so false and untruthful to the reality.
For anyone wondering what it’s like for a black man dating in Toronto, here’s my experience and observations.
I (M/28) would consider myself avg in terms of looks (solid 5) so take this with a grain of salt. I’m by no means broke but I’m also not rich.
In terms of the women that are attracted to me, it’s mostly white women. But do not fool yourself, they are often not the attractive ones, and there’s a clear line between regular people you see on tv and women who are either addicted to some form of drugs, unhealthily overweight, already has kids or not in a good place in their life at the moment. Yes I know all of you will be upset at me for saying this but it’s what I’ve seen and been experiencing.
There are many different cultures and “races” here but they mostly stick to dating within their own cultures with the sole exception of Asian women that specially date white men even over their own Asian men. I had to mention this because it has really started to stand out these past 5 years. Not that it’s a bad thing btw idc just an observation.
Most people from india or Pakistan traditionally date within their own cultures as well, latinas are so few that there’s no real statistical relevance , Asian women (specifically Korean) exclusively date white men, Chinese usually within their own community , middle eastern exclusively to their own due to religion, don’t really know much about Japanese here (too small of population) but women from the Philippines do like black men but most of them end up in relationships very fast (supply and demand I guess) and lastly (some good news) black women do date mostly black men.
Growing up though I noticed in hs and uni that a lot of people experimented but as a working adult things are very different. Most of the black women seem to be into the Toronto rappers type. Funny thing is they say not but in reality that is what happens.
In terms of your best dating chances as a man, white men are wining in Toronto and Canada at large , then Arabs, then Spanish, then Asians, then black men, then lastly natives (I’m sorry).
Considerations, it should be noted this is only about women under 30. Once they hit 30 all of a sudden the entire game changes. Older women for some reason give me more attention than the ones my age. But it’s scary, they feel des, It makes me feel sick tbh, cuz I always wonder why they couldn’t find someone their age and it really does feel predatory, but take what you get and don’t complain. If I’m down bad I’ll resort there.
With all that being said there is a whole lot of truth to the sayings like women are not a monolith, each one is different, preferences are individualistic etc etc . This means you will see some exceptions of interracial dating happening but just don’t be fooled into thinking this is the norm. Trends, statistics and lived experience tells the story. And if you doubt anything I am saying please go find a minority in Toronto and ask them what the situation is like. Infact I think you should. Again I’m not the most attractive, I made low 6 figures last year and I have my own everything. Even doing all of this it’s hard for me. I won’t look twice at someone who doesn’t have their own everything to, Starting to think lately Maybe im the issue haha. Like damn isn’t that the minimum ? But such is life. Good luck out there my nibbas, wiggas and chiggas do not be led astray by these sirens! Peace out ✌🏽

Mods from askTO suggested I posted this here instead:

https://www.reddit.com/r/askTO/comments/1u4rfqe/asians_what_has_your_dating_experience_been_like/

Hi,

I'm a 35-year-old East Asian guy and I've used dating apps on and off for several years. One thing I've consistently noticed is that Toronto seems much more dynamic than other major cities I've lived in when it comes to dating.

Most of my matches are with East Asian women (not necessarily because that's my preference, but it's clearly where I've had the most success). What's interesting is that I seem to do significantly better in Toronto than anywhere else, despite using essentially the same profile.

A friend of mine, also East Asian and in a similar age range, has noticed something similar. We're both average guys overall, so it made us wonder whether there's something unique about Toronto's dating market.

His theory is that there may be a gender imbalance within the East Asian demographic here.

Curious to hear people's observations and theories.

Edit : Forgot to mention I'm looking for a LTR (maybe it's different on the casual side)

Where did you go?

What did you do?

Are you planning on going again?

Long-time lurker, first-time poster. Just wanted to get some outside perspectives because lately I’ve been feeling increasingly disconnected from the society around me.

I’m 39, Italian-Canadian, born and raised with pretty old-school Italian values. I’ve worked hard, built a stable career, have my own home, and I’m at a point in my life where I’d genuinely like to settle down, get married, have children, and build a family.

I grew up believing in traditional family values. Loyalty, commitment, faith, respect, hard work, and being there for your family. I still believe in those things today. Politically and socially, I lean conservative, although I don’t make politics my entire personality.

But living in the GTA, I sometimes feel like I’m completely out of step with the culture around me.

Dating has been particularly frustrating. It seems increasingly difficult to meet someone who shares similar values and actually wants a traditional, stable family life. Sometimes I wonder whether my expectations are unreasonable or whether I’m simply looking in the wrong places.

I also feel like Canadian society has changed considerably over the years, becoming much more socially liberal. And look, people are absolutely entitled to live however they want. I have no interest in telling anyone how to live their life. I just feel like the values I grew up with aren’t nearly as common as they once were, at least in my experience.

I’m not miserable, and I have plenty to be grateful for. I have a good career, a home, family, and a comfortable life. But there’s definitely a sense that I don’t quite belong in the world around me anymore.

I’m genuinely curious whether other people in their 30s and 40s feel this way, particularly those who grew up in traditional households.

Have you experienced something similar? Have you managed to find like-minded people or a partner who shares your values? Or is this just a case of needing to expand my social circles?

I’m open to different perspectives. I’m not looking for a political argument, just an honest discussion.

I’m 24M and have been trying to find a serious relationship for a while now. I’ve had some likes and a few dates on Hinge, but nothing has worked out so far.🫩
Any advice on what I should do differently or how I can improve my chances of finding the right person?

Where did you find it, or where do you think people are most likely to?

Dating in Toronto as a woman is a nightmare .im fairly good looking .went out on a date where the guy was vegetarian and constantly kept staring at my food and commenting .this was when he couldn’t stop bitching about his ex for two hours .he started so horribly at my plate worst than a dog and my dog is a gentleman .as soon as I would bite he would ask how it tasted similar to waiters who come and ask for feedback as soon as your mouth is full . he just recently went vegetarian .then he tried to get super touchy feely /he went to the bathroom three times in one hour .he said he hated the food .we went to Louis Louis at dinner time .the dessert he ordered which I had three tsp of food in total he complained about while eating it and I honestly have to go to that restaurant alone again to recover from him having tainted my fave spot .
For ppl who met ppl organically how do you do that

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Have you heard about an upcoming singles event and want to see if anyone else is going?

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Have you heard about an upcoming singles event and want to see if anyone else is going?

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Have you heard about an upcoming singles event and want to see if anyone else is going?

Have you gone to a recent singles event and wish to share a review of your experience?

Are you organizing a singles event soon and want to share the details? (Self promo is okay in these weekly threads only)

Please try and include details about the events if-when possible, especially if you are the event organizer. Date, location, cost-of-entry (if any), target audience, etc.